According to The Athletic, it is still likely to take some time until Newcastle can appoint Dan Ashworth as their new Director of Football.
However, there’s one interesting detail which works in favour of the Magpies.
What’s the story?
Well, The Athletic have revealed that Brighton ensured Ashworth was not involved in negotiations when Newcastle and the Seagulls held discussions over Dan Burn.
Talks were conducted by Amanda Staveley and Brighton Chief Executive Paul Barber, to ensure there was no conflict of interest for Ashworth.
In our view, that suggests that those at the Amex Stadium were resigned to Ashworth joining the Magpies, and it’s only a matter of time until he does.
The 50-year-old is currently on gardening leave after recently resigning from his role at Brighton.
As of now, there is no compensation agreement in place which lets Ashworth leave sooner than the terms of his contract allows.
Dan Ashworth will transform Newcastle
In our view, this is a major move by Newcastle – it has the potential to be transformative for the Magpies.
Ashworth did a fantastic job at Brighton, and also played a huge role in the rise of English football in his role as Director of Elite Development for the FA.
In August 2018, he was even shortlisted for the role of Technical Director at Manchester United, according to Sky Sports.
With Ashworth in their ranks, Brighton have become a sustainable, attractive Premier League side with young talents emerging every season, either homegrown or brought in from abroad.
The future certainly looks bright for Newcastle with Ashworth involved, and also an almost bottomless pit of money.
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